Never Throw Rocks
by Jynx Tsilevon
Summary: You all know him, and you probably hate him too...But That's Reno of the Turks for you. He wasn't always that way though...ever wondered what happened before? Set after DOC, long oneshot. Revised!


** Author's Note: **HI EVERYONE! Jynx here! Okay, this is my first fan fic ever posted online... 

**Reno:** And you used _me_?

**Jynx:** Yes, complain all you want, but I'm not changing it. Anyway, so reviews and flames are welcome.

**Disclamer:** Final Fantasy VII is not mine. The Characters are not mine. Square Enix is not mine. This will all change, but until then, DON'T SUE ME!

* * *

Never Throw Rocks

"…And finally, you impersonated WRO soldiers and fought in the Deepground War," Reeve Tuesti, Commissioner of the WRO, finished, staring at the Ex-Shinra President and his Turks. Reno watched Rufus Shinra nod.

"You make it sound like a bad thing, Mr. Tuesti…" Rufus countered. Reno agreed with his comment silently.

"In a way, it is. What would have happened if you'd been killed, President…I mean, Rufus?" Reeve asked. _It seems some old habits are hard to break…_ Reno thought, smiling.

"I am a shadow of the past. No one cares of my existence anymore," Rufus muttered. Anyone in the room could detect a high tone of depression in his voice.

"Not exactly true, _Mr_. Shinra," Vincent Valentine, who was standing in the darkest part of Reeve's office, retorted. Reno had thought he'd fallen asleep, as Cait Sith had done, half way through Reeve's ranting. _Vincent...God bless him…Hell keep 'im…_ Reno thought, watching the ex-Turk without much interest. After fighting the Jenova and Deepground Wars, stuff like people being half-possessed by demons wasn't too entertaining anymore.

"Are you sure, Mr. Valentine? I seem to remember a certain group of people-including you yourself- who would stop at nothing to see my head on a pike," Rufus replied.

"Not your head, Rufus…" Vincent replied, grinning, though the smile had a melancholy tone to it. Reno was surprised when Rufus didn't press the matter any further.

The phone rang, breaking any silence that had been in the room. Reeve put the phone on speaker and answered. But, before he could get a word out, someone's voice rang over the static.

"Reeve…Get … here, now. We may … found the port…Hojo used to…fect Weiss…" It was Cloud.

"And…survivors…" Tifa, too. Even though the static cut half their words out, the two voices were unmistakable to any of the Turks.

"Survivors?" Vincent muttered, "Great…"

"Vincent, Cait, and I will be there as soon as we can, Cloud. Hold out until we get there, alright?" Reeve replied calmly.

"Sure…. (More static) we'll…waitin'…" **Click**. Cloud hung up. Or he lost connection. One of the two.

"We'll have to continue later then…This is important," Reeve said, grabbing a coat and his handy dandy machine gun. Vincent was already half way down the hallway, with Cerberus locked and loaded. Rufus nodded as Reeve ran out, following after his friend and carrying a sleepy Cait Sith.

"Guess we should go then?" Elaine asked, standing up. Rude nodded and got up, not saying anything. Tseng moved from where he stood by the door to wait for the rest of them. Reno was the only one not to move.

"You coming, Reno?" Rufus asked. Reno got up almost mechanically and followed the others out of the building.

"Edge still reminds me a lot of Midgar…" Tseng muttered as they walked out onto the streets. The others agreed, though rather solemnly. Reno looked back toward the Wasteland, knowing that far in the distance lay the once great city of Midgar. A great city now a great trash heap. _Thanks, Sephiroth. We all owe you one._ Reno reflected. Twice that SOLIDER had destroyed some part of Midgar; weather it was using the Meteor to do his dirty work or using Cloud as a human bowling ball. No mater what, though, it was a fact. When Sephy-san came to town, some part of Midgar would find itself dislodged, broken, or hanging on by a thread. The recent Deepground attack and summoning of Omega didn't help much either.

"No way we're ever going to re-build that mess…" Rude said low voice not much more than a whisper.

"Who'd want to?" Reno replied to his partner. Rude shrugged.

"Still bummed about Sector 7?" Elaine asked, looking at Reno with a great deal of sympathy in her eyes.

"Nah…" Reno shrugged, "Doesn't matter much anymore." Truth was, it did matter. Reno still remembered the screams of all those people. Every one of them were…_dead_…all because of him. It gave him more nightmares than the Remnants and Sephiroth put together could bring. But, that wasn't what was bothering him. Not today, at least.

"You're lying, Reno," Tseng said.

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"For gosh sakes, would you two grow up?" Elaine said, groaning.

"Oh, go hide behind a box, Elle!" Reno countered. Elaine put on her best pouting face.

"That wasn't my fault, you know. It's pretty freaky getting shot outa the sky by a dang Deepground platoon!" she countered.

"Rufus had to face Rosso the Crimson!" Reno replied, laughing, "Just the _sight_ of her killed like half of WRO soldiers in Kalm!"

"Don't remind me…" Rufus muttered, closing his eyes.

"Oh, come on! She wasn't that bad!" Elaine said, "Was she?"

"You never had to _see_ her, Elle…"

"Oh…"

"Did Tseng do anything in the Deepground War?" Rude asked suddenly.

"What do you mean by that, Rude?!" Tseng replied, cringing.

"Well, I barely survived my encounter with Nero. Mr. Shinra had the problem with Rosso, Reno faced Azul and barely escaped Edge when Deepground had its raiding party. What did you do?" Rude asked.

"Did Rude just say all that?" Rufus asked.

"That's sounds like something Reno should have said…" Elaine said.

"Wait…Where is Reno?" Tseng asked. The Turks and their leader looked around. But, Reno was gone.

* * *

Reno was sure he'd slipped away well enough to be alone for a couple of hours. He just wanted to think for a little while. Yes, hard to believe. Reno can think. 

He rode his motorbike for an hour, making great time for where he was going. By the time he got to his destination, though, it was already well into the afternoon. But it could have been the middle of the morning for all Reno cared. This place never changed.

Reno stared out at the desolate wasteland that had once been his home. The burned, charred wreckage hadn't changed in all this time. How long had it been since the town burned? Five years? Ten years?

The mansion was still there. Badly burned, for it was the place the fire had started. Started by _him_. Reno still remembered his laughter as the flames engulfed him, a burning suicide with an attempt to kill his only son. To kill Reno. The more he thought about it, he began to wonder.

Should he have died that day?

Sector 7 might have still been in one piece then. Cloud would have never had to waste time fighting him instead of trying to deactivate the self destruct system. Rude would have…

Rude would have died. Going back, to save him…Wouldn't he have? Reno's head hurt as he replayed that day so long ago over and over. He kicked a rock and watched it turned to dust.

"Nothing has changed, has it…" he muttered, walking toward a small hill. It was the only green spot, like a burst of color, in the ominous atmosphere. But there was nothing joyous about this hill, neatly kept and with a black iron fence around it. It was the graveyard.

Reno stood in front of two of the graves, their appearances contrasting each other. One grave was made of a beautiful white marble, expertly decorated to look more like artwork than a mourning site. The other was plain grey stone, neglected and wind-torn, as if it was to be forgotten but wouldn't disappear.

"Mom…" he muttered, looking at the marble grave, silent tears forming in his eyes, "Dad…" he continued, eyes focusing-barely- on the wind-torn grave. He suddenly didn't care that he was crying. It didn't mean anything. Who cares if he cries? It's not like he had any feelings. Wise-ass Reno, the most self-centered, lowest of the low, Turk who didn't care about anything but getting his job done. Ha…yea right.

"All alone, Reno?" Reno jumped and turned around, not having any time to try and hide his emotions. He didn't have to though.

"Ru-de?" he asked, voice cracking with emotion. Rude nodded, smiling weakly.

"That time of the year again, huh?" Rude murmured, looking around the charred remains of a town.

"Why'd you come?" Reno asked, looking back at the graves.

"You shouldn't be left alone, Reno…"

"And the others?"

"Worried, as always. Especially Rufus…"

"Shi should know where I am…" Reno retorted, using his old nickname for Rufus.

"He doesn't know what happened here. No one but you, me, and the other survivors know…"

"Yeah, all... what, five of them? Too many people died that day. It's all my fault, too. Moreover history repeated itself!" Reno yelled furiously.

"It's not your fault. You didn't start the fire…"

"Yeah, but I helped it grow…"

"So to speak. You did nothing but exist, Reno. And that's not your fault, now is it?" Reno didn't reply to Rude at first.

"You're actually talking…" he muttered.

"So? Friends aren't allowed to talk to each other?" Rude mused.

"Why don't you talk this much around Tseng or Elaine?"

"Tseng makes me nervous. Elaine's too innocent. She's hiding something, I swear."

"And Rufus?"

"Reminds me too much of his father. And you know how much I liked him…"

"Right…" Reno muttered, kicking a rock with all his might. It flew off toward a tree and rebounded. Rude caught it moments before it hit his face.

"What have I told you about throwing rocks, Reno?" he asked.

* * *

"Reno! Come down to dinner!" his mother called. Reno woke up groggily from where he'd fallen asleep. He looked around his dimly lit room, each shadow coming to life in the carefully trained eyes of his six year old imagination.

"Hurry up, boy! We don't have all day!" his father yelled. Reno ran down the stairs at his father's call. The last thing he wanted to do was make that man angry.

"You're too slow, boy!" his father retorted.

"Yes, Father…" Reno muttered, eyes focused on the ground.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

"Yes, Father," Reno squeaked, looking up. The malice resonating from his father's eyes was almost too much to bear. It took shear will to keep himself from retreating to his room and hiding in the darkest corner.

"Now go sit next to your mother," his father ordered. Reno practically ran to get away from him. Quietly taking a seat next to his mom, he looked at the extravagantly set table, wondering what he'd done to deserve getting yelled at the minute he'd woken up. Well, he was supposed to be studying, but, hey, he was six! Give the kid a break.

"Sit straight…" his father scolded, sending a shiver down his son's spine. Reno did his best to sit straight as his mother handed him a napkin.

"Don't forget this, Reno…" she said with a smile that could make even a rampaging dragon act like a cute and cuddly cat.

"You got it, Mom…" Reno responded.

"You mean 'Yes, Mother.' Right, Reno?" his father scolded.

"Nnn-oo…" he stammered in reply.

"What?"

"I said, NO!" Reno yelled suddenly, standing up on his chair and knocking his glass water goblet onto the ground. There was the stomach-turning crash of glass shattering that followed. Reno watched as his father began to shake with anger.

"Get…out…" he suddenly said. Reno stared at him, confused.

"GET OUT!" his father yelled, picking up a steak knife and hurling it at Reno's head.

"Reno!" his mother yelled, standing up, a look of pure horror distorting her beautiful features. But the knife had missed…barely. Reno tore from the room and up the stairs, locking himself in the sanctuary of his room. It was then he remembered to breath again. Downstairs he could here his mother sobbing as she yelled at her husband. Though he couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, he knew his mother was standing up for him, while his father was calling him a vagabond.

"Sorry I'm not perfect, you jerk.." he muttered, sobbing quietly.

* * *

"I should have ran away then…" Reno scoffed.

"You couldn't have left her behind, Reno. You know that.." Rude put in, smiling.

"At least, I got to meet Shinra, right? That was the only good thing that came from me staying at the hell of a place."

"So it seems…"

* * *

"Everything has to be perfect…" Reno heard his father gushing. It was annoying. The man had gone on and on about the President of Shinra Electric Power Company coming over for dinner to talk to him about a promotion. It was more than the eight year old Reno could take.

"Someone shut him up…" Reno muttered, continuing to make himself a sandwich. "How does my mom stand this?" He took a bite of his self made lunch, rolling the thought over in his head.

"Of course, Reno will have to stay out of the way…" his father continued. Reno bit down hard on his next bite, teeth grinding together like rusty cogs in an old clock.

"Yeah, I'll be outa the way, Old Man…When I'm dead!" he grinned at all the ways he could ruin the night as they flew through his creative little head. Of course, he would have to figure out how to ruin his father's reputation without blowing the house up. That might hurt his mom. As he planed, he went to his room to wait.

His father came up fifteen minutes later. Knocking on his door, he began to talk.

"Reno, we need to talk…" he started, calmly.

"What, no knives?" Reno declared, through the door.

"Open the door, Reno."

"Look, I'm gonna stay in here tonight. I'll be outa the way, the perfect little invisible boy. Promise. Now, will you leave me to my inventing?"

"Inventing? What are you inventing, Reno?"

"A way to blow you up," Reno replied abruptly.

"What?!"

"Bye now." With that, the conversation was over.

* * *

The arrival of the President and his family came quicker than Reno had expected, but he was unmoved. Everything would go as planned. Hopefully, if Rude came through on his part.

Right, Rude… The street kid Reno had met when he was four.

The two of them had been inseparable, well, as much as they could be. Reno's dad despised orphans, calling them worthless sacks of flesh. Reno couldn't be more opposed to that statement. Maybe it was because he was sure that Rude was much smarter than his dad anyway.

It surprised Reno when the President came with a son, though. He hadn't been expecting that. But, from where he was watching (which was the kitchen) the boy seemed as happy as he was to be here.

"Mr. Takashi, good to see you again," President Shinra said, shaking his father's hand. "I suppose you've met my wife, Lilith, and my son, Rufus." Rufus? Poor kid.

"It's a pleasure, Mr. Shinra," his father replied. His mother and Mrs. Shinra both bowed to each other, a traditional way to greet a guest.

"Now, if you'll please join me in the foyer, we'll wait there for dinner to be ready," Mr. Takashi said, smiling and walking toward the foyer. But, to get there, you had to pass the kitchen. And that is where the Perfect Little Invisible Boy wasn't supposed to be.

But he was, making himself dinner. And, as his father past by, he pretended not to care. But Mr. Shinra saw him, to his father's horror.

"Who is that, Mr. Takashi?" he asked.

"Oh… H-he's a servant.." his father replied. Reno turned around and smiled.

"Really? You've gotta be kidding! Two hours ago, I was your son! When did I get promoted?" Reno replied, trying to sound as cocky as possible. His father became even more horror struck than before. That didn't stop Rufus from laughing quietly, to Reno's enjoyment.

"Oh-h, Reno…I didn't recognize you. I thought you were with some friends tonight," his father said, gesturing to the stairs with his head.

"Really? You told me that I was never allowed to see any of my friends again. When'd ya change yer mind?" Reno scoffed, balancing a china plate on his head. There was nothing on it. The plate was what he would eat off when he took it up to his room. The food was on another plate he was holding, along with another glass goblet, which was resting on the counter.

Mr. Shinra eyed Reno with a stare that made Reno suddenly feel like all his energy had been sucked from him.

"I apologize for this intrusion, Mr. Shinra…" his father said, trying to stay calm. Mr. Shinra laughed a bone chilling, heart stopping laugh that made Reno's skin crawl.

"It's no trouble, Mr. Takashi. It seems your son has decided what you give him isn't good enough. Such a shame, actually. He seemed like such a nice lad. I apologize that such a tragedy happened to you," the President replied. Reno watched his mother's eyebrow shoot up, as if to say, "What was that, Mr. Shinra?"

"Wow, if I'm the tragedy, than you must be all the sadness in the world. I've never seen someone so fat in my life!" Reno grinned. He watched Rufus force back laughter as if it was a cough. Mrs. Shinra put a hand up to her mouth, laughing quietly behind it.

"Reno! How dare you talk to a guest like that!" his father scolded.

"Aw, go to Hell," Reno replied. Out of the blue, the memory of the knife flying across the room was as lucid as ever.

"What did you say?" his father forced out, trying to stay calm.

"Nothing…" Reno said, tipping his head ever so slightly. The china plate slanted and then fell to the ground. The sound of something breaking never sounded so sweet. To add insult to injury, Reno knocked off the glass goblet as well. Now there was a nice ring of broken glass around the eight year old. He watched his father trying to remain calm. Then, for some reason his gaze moved to the President. A shiver ran down his spine. The man was still _smiling_.

"Well well well…aren't we a bit of a brat?" he said, surprising Reno with how easy that came out of such a well esteemed man's mouth. Reno stared at him, mouth agape.

"It's not polite to stare, Reno Takashi. And, if I were you, I'd be a little more conscientious about how we treat our family, no?"

"I don't have to listen to a carton of blubber," Reno replied, his voice wavering.

"Now, I would go to my room, if I were you," President Shinra replied, again surprising Reno with how smooth he sounded. Almost on impulse, Reno felt his legs move toward the stairs.

"Leave the food.."

"No!" Reno yelled suddenly, breaking the spell he seemed to be under. The candle that was sitting on the window above the sink flickered and went out. Reno ran for the stairs, past his mother and father. Past the President and his wicked ways. Past the young, blonde haired Rufus, eyes full of pain.

Wait…pain?

Reno stopped halfway up the stairs, turned around, and faced the group of people. He thought of something, anything to make the little kid smile.

"I hope you get impaled by something long and sharp, President Shinra. Hopefully, a sword at the hand of one of your SOLDIERS." Reno yelled suddenly. At that moment he turned and fled to his room.

* * *

Six year old Rufus Shinra watched the red haired boy flee up the stairs. Envy filled him like the blood that ran through his veins. That kid had said everything Rufus dreamed of yelling at his father but never had the guts to do. He'd even messed it up for his own father. A voice suddenly broke the silence, and his thoughts.

"Mr. Takashi, the sitting room is ready…" it was a servant. A real servant this time.

"Thank you, Senri," Rufus heard Mr. Takashi reply. Mr. Shinra nodded to the servant and smiled calmly.

"Will you please lead the way, dear?" he asked. Rufus cringed and looked away.

"If it's alright with you, Mr. Shinra, could I have Lilith and Rufus join me for tea?" Mrs. Takashi asked. _Say yes. Say yes…wait, I hate tea…_Rufus thought.

"Oh, of course," his father replied. Mrs. Takashi smiled and gestured for his mother and him to follow as his father and Mr. Takashi walked toward the sitting room. When they were out of sight, Mrs. Takoshi turned to his mother, sighing.

"Well, you've met my son…" she said, smiling softly, "My pride and joy. Thank God he's nothing like his father." Rufus did nothing to hide his astonishment.

"Rufus, are you surprised?" she asked, smiling like his mother did. When Rufus nodded, she explained.

"Well, you see, Reno is actually quiet brilliant, but his father-my husband-only thinks he should be formed the way he is. In other words, constricted, well kept…almost, well, perfect. But Reno doesn't want to be that way, so he's rebelling in his own little way…"

"You could learn something from him, dear," his mother said. Rufus' eyes went wide, causing Lilith Shinra and Mrs. Takashi to laugh.

"Anyway, I know you don't like tea, Rufus, so why don't we see if you can hang out with Reno for a little while?" Mrs. Takashi said, smiling.

"Uh, sure…" Rufus followed his mother and their hostess up the stairs, looking around as if Reno would still be hiding. They came to a thick wooden door with a deadbolt and a sign that said WARNING, ATHURIZED PERSONEL ONLY.

"Reno, you in there?" Mrs. Takashi asked, knocking lightly.

"Password!" came the reply.

"Um…hmm.. What is it today, I wonder…" Mrs. Takashi mused, grinning like a school girl. "Spontaneously Combust?"

"As in…?"

"You want your father to spontaneously combust.."

"Hi Mom…" Reno replied, opening the door just enough to look out. Rufus saw that there was a chain lock on the door as well. Boy, this kid was paranoid. Reno caught sight of Rufus and his mom.

"Hello, Mrs. Shinra. Hi Midget Shinra."

"Reno!" Mrs. Takashi said, surprised.

"Oh, alright. _Mr._ Midget Shinra…"

"Hey, it's not like everyone can be freakishly tall," Rufus countered.

"Well, don't eat too much ice cream, squirt."

"Course I won't! I defiantly don't want to gain 300 pounds and the mind of a monkey," Rufus replied.

"Amen to that!" Reno said.

"Reno, can Rufus stay with you for a little while?" Mrs. Takashi asked. Rufus' mother was laughing too hard to talk.

"Sure, hang on a sec." Reno said, unlocking the door.

Reno watched with high entertainment as Rufus explored his room. The first thing the Shinra boy noticed was that there wasn't a bed to be seen.

"Where do you sleep?" he asked.

"I'm an insomniac," Reno confessed.

"You don't sleep?"

"That's what insomniac means, squirt."

"Oh…"

"Take a seat, kid." Rufus looked around. Spotting a chair, he navigated through the inventions scattered all around the room and moved a stack of ancient looking books that he swore would have fallen apart at the faintest touch if not handled correctly. Only then could he sit.

"Hungry?" Reno asked, throwing Rufus a roll he'd nicked from the kitchen. Rufus looked around the room, nibbling on the roll as he did so. He'd never seen so much technology outside of the Shinra building in his life. And an eight year old had made it? It was hard to fathom.

"Reeve would like you…" Rufus said quietly.

"Mr. Tuesti? Yea, bet he would. Always liked what that man could do with technology. He had me convinced that Cait Sith was real…" Reno replied, grinning. Rufus nodded, having fallen for the same trick himself. It was occasionally hard to believe that Reeve's spy cat was a robot.

Reno turned from Rufus and looked back at his desk. Rufus watched him for a moment, before feeling something hit him in the side of the head. To his surprise, it was an apple seed.

"Reno…an apple seed just hit me."

"Huh? Oh, Zeng, cut it out!" Reno said, surprising Rufus. When Reno noticed the boy's bewilderment, he grinned.

"Zeng's my falcon. He eats apples and spits the seeds at people. Should have warned ya, kid," Reno explained, pointing to the falcon sitting in the open window. Rufus stared at it, amazed.

"Can I touch him?" Rufus asked.

"Sure. He likes almost everyone. Not my dad, though. I think he's just envious, though," Reno laughed, "He has a crush on my mom..." Rufus smiled at this comment and held out his hand to Zeng. The falcon instantly flew over to it, landing with the grace of a butterfly. Rufus pet his feathers gingerly, as if afraid his touch would ruin the feathers' seemly moonlight gleam. Reno smiled and watched Rufus, his back to the window. They sat in silence for a moment before Reno started talking again.

"How can you stand it?"

"What?"

"How can you stand being quiet all the time? Doing what your father wants? It would kill me to be in your shoes…" Reno retorted.

"He scares me…" Rufus replied, after a minute, "Makes me feel inadequate all the time."

"So, tell him off.." Reno said, as if it was easy.

"Not everyone is as bold as you are, Reno."

"So don't be bold. Just speak your mind, kid. It'll make you feel tons better. Trust me," Reno mused. Rufus was about to say something, but was cut off by Reno's sudden yell.

"OW!" Reno held the back of his head. Rufus watched a rock the size of his eye fall to the ground. Reno scampered to the window, looking out of the third story toward the ground.

"RUDE!" he bellowed as Zeng started laughing. (This was actually more like a series of squeaks and shrieks, to be exact.) Rufus walked over to the window, looking down to see a bald-headed kid staring back up at them. He was holding a bunch of rocks in his arms.

"What have I told you about throwing rocks, Rude?!" Reno yelled, though he was grinning. The boy-Rude-smiled and looked around before replying.

"Never through 'um unless you got good aim?"

"NO! Check if the window is closed first, ya psycho!" Reno exclaimed. "Why are you throwin' rocks at a third story window anyway?!" Rude was hesitant to answer.

"Well?"

"I was tryin' to be covert!" Reno had to pull his head back in the window and put his hands in front of his face to keep from laughing. He then looked back out the window and yelled back down.

"Yeah? How's that goin'?!"

"Not too well, actually!"

"No, really? I would have never guessed!" Rufus couldn't stop himself from laughing.

"Well, I'm done!" Rude yelled, "Are you comin' or not?"

"Done with what?" Rufus asked.

"Slitting the tires of Shinra's car…Oh, crap, that's _your_ car, isn't it?" Reno groaned. "Sorry…"

"There's a Shinra up there?! Crap! You don't know me, kid!" Rude yelled.

"You got that right…" Rufus muttered, "I promise I won't tell, so can I help?"

"Did ya hear that, Rude? The kid wants to help!"

"The more the merrier, I guess…"

"Ok, I'm gonna throw him down. Make sure to catch, Rude. Trust me, he's light."

"Huh? Who's light?" Rufus asked.

"One Shinra, Fast Delivery…" Reno yelled, laughing and picking Rufus up.

"Hey! What are you…" the poor kid never had time to finish his sentence. It's a miracle he's not scared of heights.

"Goin' down…" Reno laughed, throwing Rufus out the window. Rufus didn't scream, to Reno's delight. Maybe he was just too shocked. Luckily, Rude scampered up the tree near the window and caught Rufus before he was even half way down. That sent both of them crashing to the ground, Rude on bottom.

"Well, at least I caught ya…" Rude said, "Now, could ya please get off?"

"Huh? Yeah, sorry…" Rufus said, standing up and then, almost immediately after wards, falling over.

"How was that, Shi?" Reno asked, sliding down the wall, Zeng following after him.

"Do it again! Do it again!" Rufus chanted. "Wait, who's Shi?"

"You're nickname, squirt…" Rude said, shrugging.

"Am I that small?"

"No, but you're shorter than me, so, well, I dub you Squirt."

"Okay then. You're Baldly."

"I don't like you."

"Well, that's something we have in common, huh?"

"Stop arguing, you two…" laughed Reno. "We've got a job to do." Rude stopped glaring at Rufus and smirked menacingly. Rufus took two deliberate steps away from him, as if Rude was some kind of crazed maniac. Who knows, maybe he was.

"Ok, Rude got the rocks, so let's get to work, shall we?" Reno ordered. Rude led the way back to where the President had parked his car. Without thinking, Rufus scooped up a rock from the ground and lobbed it at the car as hard as he could. There was the satisfying sound of stone on metal for a moment, before the rock dropped to the ground, leaving a pleasant indentation in the side of the car.

"Nice arm, Shi…" Rude said, grinning.

"Ok, Soldiers, weapons ready!" Reno commanded, acting like some army general. Rufus and Rude grabbed handfuls of rocks and aimed for the car. Reno followed suite, mischievous grin dominating his face.

"Ready…Aim…FIRE!" Reno yelled. With that, about sixty rocks, all ranging from the size of a grown man's eye to the size of a tennis ball, rained down on the car. And, at the hands of two carefully trained eight year olds and one lucky six year old…well, let's just say that the car didn't look like much more that scrap metal when they were done.

"Man, can't believe we're done already…" Rufus moaned. He had learned in the last ten minutes that throwing rocks at his father's car was a great way to get rid of anger. He'd have to tell his mom as soon as he could. He wondered if she'd be proud.

"Done? HA! I haven't added my touch to this yet!" Reno boomed, laughing hysterically.

"Ok, I'm afraid…" Rufus said.

"Don't be. Reno's probably just going to light it on fire or somethin'…" Rude said, as if there was nothing to fear about his buddy, the eight year old pyrotechnician in training. Rufus stared at him, amazed.

"He can do that?"

"'Course. What do you think him makes when he's grounded?"

"How often does he get grounded?"

"Well, last time I checked, he really shouldn't be ungrounded until he's twenty-two." Rufus laughed, but he suddenly felt pity for Reno.

"Does his father always treat him like…"

"Like he's an object that shouldn't even exist if he's not perfect? Yup. But, that's what's made him this way. My good friend, the crazy idiot," Rude replied, shrugging.

"He's an idiot?"

"Sometimes. Everyone is eventually."

"Oh…"

"Ya talkin' about me?" Reno asked, walking over. He held a small soup can with what looked like three sticks of dynamite sticking out of it.

"What is that?!"

"Home made bomb. Was going to give it to my dad, lit of course, but that was too risky. He could have actually given it back, if he had the brain capacity to figure out what it was before it blew up."

"Who gives an eight year old stuff to make bombs?!"

"No one, Rude made most of it. I just put it together and get to light it."

"Oh, so Rude made that?"

"Shinra technology at its finest…Oh, sorry, old joke of ours," Rude grinned, shrugging.

"Looks like today, we're clocking out early, my friends," Reno said, lighting the dynamite and elegantly throwing it under the car.

"Fire in the hole!" Rufus commanded, hiding behind a group of trees.

"No kidding?!" Rude said, dragging Reno behind the trees to watch. Only what seemed like five seconds later, the whole contraption exploded.

Reno ran out from behind the trees and looked at the smoldering wreckage.

"HA! Rude, it worked!"

"No, really? The sound defiantly didn't give it away!" Rude said, before looking back at Rufus. "Rufus, are you sure you're ok about this? I mean, we just blew up your dad's car. Aren't you the least bit…I don't know, sorry?"

"Sorry? I've never had this much fun!" Rufus said, dancing around, "This was awesome!"

* * *

Senri, one of the Takashi family's many servants, heard a loud noise come from the driveway. Praying to God it wasn't what she thought it was, she ran there. To her amusement and shear terror, it was what she thought it was.

"Reno! What did you blow up this time?" she groaned, running out to the drive way to see the smoldering remains of…something.

"Shinra's car…" Reno said, smiling. Senri stared at him before starting to laugh.

"You're dead, you know that."

"I won't get caught. Anyway, I got to keep Rufus from getting caught, too."

"Is Rude with you?"

"Hi, Ms. Senri," Rude said, waving. Suddenly, there was a yell from the house.

"What was that noise?!" It was Mr. Takashi. "SENRI!"

"You better beat it…" Senri said, "I'll stall them for as long as I can. You should be grateful your dad trusts me, Firebringer…" Senri said. As a former resident of Cosmo Canyon, she often fell back to her native way of talking. Giving people nicknames, like Reno being called Firebringer, was one thing she recalled doing a lot back home.

"Coming, Master!" Senri yelled, running back toward the kitchen. Reno waved for Rude and Rufus to start climbing back into his room.

"Why's Rude coming?" Rufus asked as he started to climb the tree.

"I want to see what happens, squirt. Reno's room is front row seats…" Rude said, grabbing Rufus by the back of his shirt and practically dragging him up the tree and back into Reno's room. Reno and Zeng followed after them, barely making it back in before Mr. Takashi, followed quiet closely by Rufus' father, came out onto the drive way.

When neither of them said anything, the boys had to slam the window shut and burst out laughing.

It took three hours to have another car brought to the Takashi household. Rude had slipped away sometime in those long hours, leaving Rufus and Reno to laugh about the night and make plans to stay in touch. When the time finally came for the little Shinra boy to go, Reno walked him to the door.

"This is far as I dare ta go, Rufus. It was nice to meet you, though," Reno said, shaking Rufus' hand and staring out onto the drive. Mrs. Shinra waved for Rufus to hurry up as she got into the car.

"Yeah. Stay in touch, ok? You're the first friend I've really made my age…" Rufus confessed.

"Sure, I won't leave ya hanging. Make sure to give your dad my regards." Rufus smiled. He knew what Reno meant that, and had every intent to do so.

"Goodbye, Reno. See you around?"

"'Course, Mr. Shinra. You can count on me," Reno said, pushing Rufus towards the car. Rufus waved and slipped in next to his mother.

As they pulled out of the driveway, Rufus watched Reno fade into the darkness, hoping more than anything he would see Reno Takashi again. If he didn't blow himself up first.

"How was your stay?" his mother whispered as they drove through town.

"Great! I can't wait to tell you about it…" Rufus whispered in reply.

"Oh really?" she giggled quietly, but didn't press the matter. Rufus looked out the window. To his surprise, he saw Rude, waving as they passed.

"Bye, Rude…" Rufus whispered, watching him disappear too.

"Orphans…" President Shinra scowled from where he sat, next to the driver, "What a waste…" Rufus cringed. From what he'd seen only a few hours ago, orphans could be very resourceful.

"They are not!" Rufus said, crossing his arms and glaring at his father. "I think most of them are probably smarter than you and most of the Shinra Scientist put together. Especially Professor Hojo." President Shinra whipped around, shocked that his son had just made a smart-alec remark. Rufus just grinned mischievously. _Reno was right…_ he thought, _I __**do**__ feel better._

So, it was thanks to Reno that Rufus became who he was known as today.

* * *

Reno watched Rufus' car fade into the night before turning back toward the house. And just about running right into his father.

"Well, what is the occasion? You're out of your room…" his father hissed.

"Had ta go to the bathroom. Bye now…" Reno said, running up the stairs and out of sight. Senri walked in right as he left.

"What happened on the driveway was Reno's fault, wasn't it, Senri?" Mr. Takashi asked.

"Sir, I don't know. I wasn't…."

"That wasn't a question, Senri…."

"What do you want me to do, Sir?" the servant girl asked, hopping it was nothing that would cause Reno any harm.

"Nothing…Absolutely nothing…" Mr. Takashi stated, walking back towards the foyer.

* * *

"Do you think your father ever found out about what we did that night?" Rude asked, looking up at the sky.

"No. But, if he did, he never let me know. He still got promoted, so I guess he just pretended that the whole night didn't happen," Reno stated.

"It's going to rain…Will you be ok, Reno?"

"Rain doesn't scare me as much as other things, Rude."

"How did I get you to look for the sunken plane?"

"I slept the whole way there, remember?"

"And then Cloud found us…"

"So there was no time to worry."

"Right."

"Right…"

* * *

"It was an accident, I swear!" Reno pleaded, shaking. His father didn't reply. He just looked around the remains of the back yard and walked into the house.

"Why did I try to test it? I knew it wasn't stable!" the ten year old screamed. He had been experimenting with a way to contain fire and keep it burning without any kindling or wood or materia. But, half way through his experiment, his father had walked out, causing Reno to make a mistake. The mistake led to an explosion that destroyed most of the Takashi's backyard. Now, standing in the midst of ash and burning trees and grass, Reno began to think of his will.

His father came back out, still calm as a placid lake. Reno stared at him, violently shaken. He knew that this wasn't good. Ten years of experience told him that when his father was this way, it was the calm before the storm. The storm was normally pretty painful, too.

"I'm sorry! I really didn't mean for this to happen!" Reno sobbed. His father remained silent, grabbing his son by the wrist and dragging him away from the house and into the remaining forest that still surrounded their house.

"Where are we going?"

"Be quiet, Reno," his father ordered forcefully. Reno went silent, still shaking vigorously. He trudged behind his father, fear mounting as his head began to hatch ideas about what was going to happen. _He's going to kill me…He'll really do it this time…Mom can't save me…she's away…_

"Look, Dad…I'm really sorry…" _Dad…It doesn't sound right to call him that…_

"I know you are, Reno…" his father replied, shaking his head and walking forward. More uneasy silence followed. Reno was almost frightened to tears, unable to even think of a disrespectful comment to fire at his father. His father finally broke the silence.

"Do you know how to swim, Reno?"

"Huh?"

"Do you know how to swim?" His father repeated.

"N-no…" Reno stammered.

"Why don't you know how to swim?"

"No one…taught me?" Reno guessed. His father just shook his head and looked forward.

Truth was, Reno hated water. He always had. Water was the one thing that could stop fire from burning. Reno thought of himself more like fire than any other element, making water the last thing he'd want to get near. So, learning to swim was out of the question. Reno now started to wish he would have learned anyway.

Finally, they came to a break in the trees. Reno recognized the area at once. It was a cliff that hung over a huge lake, about forty feet below. The lake filtered into a series of streams that led deep into the forest. He and Rude came here to scheme all the time.

"Why are we here?" Reno asked. His answer was a shock of pain the resonated through his body. His father had just hit him across the side of the face. Reno fell to the ground, struggling not to scream.

"I told you to be quiet!" his father ordered, hitting him again. More pain. There was actually blood this time. Reno didn't even have enough time to stand up before another blow hit him in the gut.

"Why are you doing this?!" he sobbed.

"You needed to learn to behave…" his father replied, following his words with a session of blows. Reno could only dodge so much.

"Just give me a chance! I learn!" Reno pleaded, struggling to remain conscious.

"I gave you a chance. I gave you millions of chances. You're out of chances, Reno…" his father said. Reno knew then that he needed someone else help to save what little life he had.

For the first (and hopefully last) time in his life, Reno admitted he needed help.

"Somebody help me!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

* * *

"I'm back!" Mrs. Takashi called. To her surprise, there was no reply. She set the groceries on the counter and walked out back. When she saw the damage, she just about fainted. Looking around, she saw Senri on her knees, crying. Running over to her, Mrs. Takashi tried her best to comfort the girl.

"Senri, what's wrong…"

"Reno…Reno's going to…no, that devil will kill him!" Senri sobbed. Mrs. Takashi watched her, fear mounting inside her.

"What?"

"Master's going to kill Reno!" Senri shouted. Mrs. Takashi sat there, shocked. Senri opened her eyes and finally noticed who she was talking to.

"Mistress!"

"Where are they?" she asked.

"I-I don't…"

"SENRI! I know where they went!" Rude called, breaking through the trees. He was flushed and out of breath.

"Rude!" Mrs. Takashi stammered, "Please lead the way!" She got up and followed as Rude ran back through the trees, trying to lead them to the cliff before it was too late. Senri followed close behind, an old legend ringing in her ears. _In which the Firebringer fell, water of the sea engulfing his body, his soul returning to the Lifestream as he drown._

"Oh no he won't…" Senri muttered, tears still streaming down her face. She wouldn't let the young master die. Besides his mother, Reno was the only one to show her kindness. She owed him so much for that.

As they broke through the trees, Mrs. Takashi began to hear the sobs of her son. 

"No…" she croaked, voice cracking.

* * *

Reno couldn't even stand up anymore. Consciousness was fleeting fast; he knew it he couldn't hold out much longer. _Let it end…please, let me die…_ His father picked him up by the neck of his shirt and held him over the water.

"I'm….sorry…" Reno whispered, strength leaving faster now. His breath was labored.

"I know you are, Reno. But you're too late. Goodbye," the man said. Reno couldn't even call him his father anymore. Mr. Takashi let go of Reno's collar and watched, with no remorse in his eyes, as his son plummeted toward the water.

* * *

"No! Reno!" Mrs. Takashi screamed, running to try and catch her son, but being too late. Senri ran over to her former master and punched him. The blow caused him to buckle and fall to the ground, holding his eye. Rude ran from the summit, trying to get to the water's edge.

And, as they all watched, Reno hit the water and disappeared.

* * *

Far away, in the Sector Five Slums of Midgar, a nine year old girl stood in a church. Looking up, the girl got down on her knees and prayed.

"Don't let him die…" she prayed, "Please, don't let him die…" The girl-the planet's last Cetra- stayed in the position, seeming to glow in the pale light that filtered in through one of the many holes in the ceiling.

"Please…"

* * *

_This is the end…I don't feel any more pain._ Reno let his eyes close, welcoming the warmth the water had provided. He didn't even try to make it back to the surface. As he began to need air, he opened his eyes. Reno wasn't too sure what he saw next.

Something grabbed his hand. A person, shrouded in white light, began to pull him towards the surface of the water.

_What's going on? Am I dead?

* * *

_

Rude pulled his best friend from the water, trying not to believe he was dead. Mrs. Takashi and Senri stood near him. Mr. Takashi, whom Senri had knocked out, was still laying on top of the cliff.

"Reno? Please be alive…" Rude whispered, listening for a pulse. To his surprise, and delight, there was one. With in seconds, Reno started to cough up the water he'd ingested, rolling over and gasping for breath.

"Wh…" Reno tried to say, before falling to the ground. He still was in pain from his father's attacks.

"Don't worry, Reno. We're going home…" Mrs. Takashi said, smiling softly and stroking her son's hair. Reno struggled to smile, but was too weak to even do that. Senri picked him up as he passed out, taking him back to the comfort of his house.

* * *

It took three weeks for Reno to recover. He had to sleep in the guest room for that time, not doing much but sleeping and eating. During those three weeks, though, his mother kicked his father out of the house, filing for divorce and a restraining order. The servants had all been given the chance to leave, but they still had yet to vacate the house. Reno never expected them to leave, though. They all liked his mother too much. Rude also moved in on his mother's request. According to her, Rude was as good as another son to her.

Reno didn't remember much of those three weeks of recovery. Most of the time he was struggling to talk to Rude about how things had changed or dodging apple seeds spit at him by Zeng. In the end, though, he did remember one thing over all the others.

He'd never slept so well in his life.

* * *

"Life got worse from there…" Reno muttered

"Not true. You had it easy for a few years…." Rude countered

"I was thirteen when she died…"

"At least she didn't die in the fire…"

"Yeah…At _least_…"

* * *

"I don't want her to die!" Reno screamed into his pillow. Rude didn't say anything as he hit his head repeatedly on the doorframe.

'Her' was Reno's mother. She had recently come down with a terminal illness, and was set to die within weeks to even days. Reno had taken the news pretty well at first, but he'd shut himself up in his room for three days afterward. Rude just lapsed into a silent state of consciousness, not wishing to talk to anyone but Senri or Reno. He'd also become more secretive of late, even going to the point of always wearing sun glasses to hide his eyes, regardless of the weather.

"Stop acting like babies!" Senri commanded, grabbing the pillow Reno was yelling into and using it to stop Rude from giving himself a concussion. Rude looked at her, deep frown set on his face. Reno just pulled the covers over his messy red hair and tried to hide from view. Senri stormed over to him and yanked the covers out of his grip.

"It's not always a bad thing, Firebringer," she insisted. Reno looked at her, sneering.

"How isn't a bad thing?! My mom's dying! Who knows when she'll just stop breathing and fade away! And it's a good thing?!"

"Will she be in pain anymore, Reno? Will she be hurt in anyway? Or sad? Or angry?" Senri inquired.

"She's got a point, Reno…" Rude muttered.

"Yeah…well…" Reno groped for words.

"Well what?" Senri pressed.

"She won't be with me! _I'll _be hurt!" he protested. Senri shook her head.

"I pray for the day you learn to think of others, Reno…" she muttered, turning away and leaving the two thirteen year old boys to think.

"That was a bit…selfish, Reno…"

"I know...but…"

"It's hard, I know. This is the first time I've had a mum. I can't believe she has to go already…"

"We have to think positive, right?"

"Agreed. Let's try to look toward the good side of this…" Rude agreed.

"Like Senri," Reno stated.

"Like Senri."

So, for the next week, Reno and Rude did there best to stay as optimistic as possible. They helped out around the house, cooked meals (Or, in Reno's case, burned them beyond eating) and helped Mrs. Takashi stay happy too. But all good things come to an end.

On that day, the household seemed to be in a trance. Everyone was solemn and quiet. It was as if all the light had fled from every part of the house.

"What's with everyone?" Mrs. Takashi whispered, voice weak, "Who died?" Reno smiled feebly at his mother's attempt to cheer Rude, Senri, and him up. He held her cold hand in his, as if he could transfer some of his heat to her and keep her alive just that much longer.

"I like your glasses, Rude," she continued. "They make you look sophisticated." Rude smiled, bowing his head in thanks. Senri smiled, brushing tears from her eyes.

"I'll miss you, Mistress…" she said.

"Oh, but we won't be apart for long, the way things are going…" Mrs. Takashi replied. "But, take care of my boys for me, will you Senri?"

"Of course, Mistress."

"Good. They both need a woman in their lives, seeing as neither of them are capable of getting a girlfriend."

"Mom!" Reno and Rude protested. Mrs. Takashi laughed quietly. Senri used this as a time to excuse Rude and herself, leaving Mrs. Takashi and her son to have a last moment together.

"I'm sorry, Mom…" Reno whispered.

"For what? Being everything I wanted you to be and more? Why are you sorry for that?" his mother asked. Reno smiled, tears falling from his eyes.

"For being selfish, Mom. I don't want you to go…"

"But I won't be gone for long. I may never leave, if you think of me always."

"I will, Mom."

"Good. And take care of Rude, will you? He's the more responsible of you two, so make sure he gets to have a little fun in life, ok?"

"Of course."

"And Reno?"

"Yes, Mom?"

"I love you." Reno pressed her hand against his forehead, crying harder for a moment.

"I-I love you too…" he whispered. Smiling, Mrs. Takashi closed her eyes. She never opened them again.

* * *

"I hear the Lifestream's a good place to be this time of year," Reno stated, grinning.

"Who'd you hear that from?" Rude asked, surprised.

"Cloud, of course. How many times has the guy died?"

"I'm counting at least twice. Maybe more."

"Of course. He's more immortal than Sephy-san. Boy, I bet that ticks that ol' SOLDIER Commander off, huh?''

"Probably," laughed Rude. Reno looked at his mother's grave, smiling.

"She's in a better place. I know that now…"

"Yeah."

"I'm glad. Life got worse after she died…"

"Sad to say, but it's true.''

"So it seems…" Reno muttered, shaking his head. "So it seems…"

* * *

Reno told the other servants to go home the day his mother died. Senri was the only one who wouldn't leave. She swore that if she didn't take care of Reno and Rude, they'd do something stupid and hurt themselves. Of course, her being there didn't stop them from playing with fire.

Rude also thought it was a good idea for the two of them to learn how to fight. So, every day, they practiced with Senri, who, to their surprise, was actually a pretty good fighter herself. Rude learned to be a powerful fighter with his hands and feet, while Reno preferred having a weapon handy. He ended up making his first weapon, an electromagnetic rod. It really hurt to be hit with it, according to Rude.

Life was ok for the next two years. Reno and Rude got jobs at some places in town to help pay for whatever they could. Senri also got a job, but the boys made her keep the money. Who knew when they might need it? But, over all, life was pretty good.

That all changed one humid night, two months after Reno turned fifteen.

"You sure you want me to leave?" Senri asked, frowning. She was all packed, ready to go home to her beloved Cosmo Canyon. But she felt bad, leaving these two ruthless fifteen year olds. Of course, it was Reno's idea for her to go home, which made her feel worse.

"Yeah. We're probably going to be moving anyway," Reno replied.

"Really? Where to?" Senri asked.

"Midgar," Rude answered. Senri smiled.

"Tell Rufus hi for me, ok?"

"Will do, Senri." She nodded, looking out at the car waiting for her. It would take her out to the Canyon before heading off towards wherever the driver was really headed.

"Bye, Firebringer…" Senri said, kissing his forehead and giving him a hug, "Be careful, alright?" Reno nodded, hugging her back. Senri did the same kind of thing with Rude. As she turned to leave, she suddenly turned back to Rude, grinning.

"Oh, and Rude…" she said, placing her hands on his shoulders, "Take care of Reno. I don't want him to blow himself up, kay?" Rude grinned, eyes alight behind his sunglasses.

"You got it, Senri."

"Thought so. See you boys around, ok?" Senri said, whipping a tear from her eye and getting into the car. Reno and Rude waved goodbye until she had faded far into the distance.

* * *

"She's still alive out there…" Rude said.

"Really? How do you know?" Reno asked.

"Nanaki. He knew her from when she was little. He told me she was fine," Rude answered.

"Good ol' Red XIII. I always liked him."

"Yeah…"

"Now begins the end…" Reno muttered, kicking his father's grave.

* * *

_Floating, sinking, falling… under water…Don't step on the flowers, got it? No, wait! He's getting away…Who? What's going on? …Meteor's comin'. No way to stop it. Might as well give up now…Fighting a losing battle…Running but going nowhere…Screams of thousands of people…sinking farther…drowning in never ending sorrow...look what you've done, this is all your fault...dragged down, weighted by lead...desereved to die...die and stay dead..._

"AH!" Reno yelled, sitting up and shaking. "Dang nightmare…" he muttered, rubbing his eyes. He looked at his watch. It was midnight, though it was hard to read the hands of the watch through all the smoke.

_Smoke?!_

Reno jumped out of bed and ran out into the hall way. Rude was already there, looking as if he was coming to get him.

"The house is on fire!" Rude yelled, before hacking and coughing as if he'd inhaled too much smoke. Reno ran over to him and looked around for an exit.

"Come on; let's get out of here..." Reno struggled to say. The smoke was getting thicker by the second. It took a great deal of effort just to keep his eyes open, let alone keep walking. When they broke out into the night air, they learned just how bad the situation was.

The fire must have started at the house, but half the town was already caught in the blaze.

"What the hell?!" Rude yelled, looking around. Reno looked around as well. Then he caught sight of a shadowy figure gliding toward the backyard.

"Rude, go look for survivors. I'll be right there…" Reno said, running after the figure. He had a bad idea of who that figure could be. Rude watched him go, too stunned to do anything. Then he ran down to the town, helping people get out of the burning mess.

"Dad?!" Reno yelled, not at all surprised. It had been five years, but his father hadn't changed at all.

"Good to see you again, Reno…" his father replied, staring at him with cold eyes. Reno saw he was standing next to the only tree in his back yard that hadn't burned the day he'd blown up the backyard on accident.

"D-did you do this?" Reno stammered.

"Yes."

"Why?!" Reno yelled. "You're going to hurt someone."

"But I want to hurt someone. The someone who should be dead right now…" his father replied. Reno took a step back. His father had finally lost it. Reno was out of things to say. But, before he could even try to say anything, his father moved.

Reno watched as his father's wrist flicked, as if he was throwing a dart. Or a knife. Two Kunai Knives, to be exact. He didn't have any time to react before the knives connected with his skin, leaving a thick gash under each of his eyes. It made Reno have the appearance that he was crying blood.

"Dad, stop this!" Reno yelled, wincing in pain. His father just laughed.

"You should have never plagued this world. But now, even nature's most destructive force can't hurt you…" his father said, staring at the flames that grew larger every second. "Or will it? Will you die here, with me?"

"No one's going to die. We're going to leave, now. Both of us," Reno said, backing up.

"She's dead. The only one I loved is gone now. Why would I want to live on?" his father asked.

"Don't talk like that! You shouldn't have to die!"

"Go away…" his father said, turning his back to his son for the last time. Reno could see he had something in his hand, but the light was too weak and the air too full of smoke to see what it was. Reno was about to say something in protest when Rude came out of nowhere and dragged him away. The last thing Reno heard from his father was his laugh, so chilling that the heat of the fire around him couldn't warm him up.

That night, the sky was filled with the cries of people in mourning for those lost in the fire. Reno and Rude stood with the other survivors, watching as everything they'd ever loved disappeared forever.

* * *

In the days that followed, people said their goodbyes and left the town. Reno and Rude began their long trek toward Midgar. They made it to Junon Harbor a week later. The cuts under Reno's eyes had healed, leaving two seemingly identical scars under each eye. To Rude's surprised, Reno had gone and gotten an identical tattoo over each scar, as it to always remind himself of when they bled and how it had happened. Rude felt bad for his friend, but said nothing.

In Junon they'd met up with Rufus, who'd introduced them to Tseng. From there, Rude and Reno applied to be Turks.

The rest, well, wasn't so bad until Sephiroth came back.

* * *

"I never found it…" Reno stated.

"What?" Rude inquired.

"The knife my dad always had with him."

"The one he threw at you?"

"Yeah…" Reno replied. Rude wondered why Reno would want that, of all things, but didn't ask.

"Let's go home, Reno," Rude said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, let's go…" Reno answered. Rude started back towards the helicopter, trying to figure out how to get Reno and his motorbike on board. Reno didn't move. He looked back toward his old house and saw the tree. It still was there, after all it'd been through.

"Reno, you comin'?" Rude yelled, loading Reno's bike into the cargo hold.

"Yeah…hang on a sec…" Reno yelled back, running off toward the old tree.

When he got there, he looked around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. He began to head back, but something on the ground caught his eye. He picked it up, looking it over. What he found sent a shiver down his spine.

It was a knife.

Reno dropped it, surprised. The same fear that had filled him all those years ago came back in a tsunami of a wave. He shook his head and bent down to pick up the knife again. As he stood up, he noticed something carved into the tree's bark.

_Never throw rocks._

Reno stared at those three words, gulping. So his father _had_ known what happened to the President's car. Knowing that sent a flourish of anger through him. He walked back to his father's grave, holding the knife in front of him.

"There's something you should know, Dad…" he said, pulling Fire Materia out of his pocket. He looked at it for a moment and then cast the most powerful fire spell he could onto the knife. It began to melt in his hand, though he still didn't let go of it. Not yet.

"Everything _burns_…" Reno finished, dropping the knife-now more liquid than solid-onto the ground. Turning away, he headed back toward the chopper, laughing the whole way there.

* * *

**A/N Thank you all for reading:-)**


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